EAT sponsors Estas 2010

Estate Agent Today has been unveiled as a sponsor of the Estas 2010.

The Estas, officially known as the Estate & Letting Agent Awards, are the longest running and largest scheme in the industry.

The scheme is unique because winners are selected by clients of agents, not by a judging panel.
 
“Judging panels have their place, but in terms of marketing value to agents there’s no better accolade than consumer endorsement,” says Simon Brown from Awards For Business, the organisation which owns and runs the scheme.

Consumer awareness of the scheme is growing thanks to a national newspaper campaign last year. Brown says: “The whole reason for me starting the Estas was to try and help change the public’s perception. There are so many hard-working agents out there that don’t receive the recognition they deserve. We know from the feedback we get that many agents go beyond the call of duty to help their clients.”

The Estas have evolved dramatically over the last few years and now provide benchmarking data for agents, enabling them to monitor the levels of customer service they deliver throughout the calendar year.

“The competition provides the agent with the perfect opportunity to continue dialogue with past clients and demonstrates to potential new clients the agent’s commitment to high levels of service,” adds Brown. “It’s also a great way to help managers motivate staff, highlighting the importance of customer service in the agency.”

Nat Daniels, publisher of TEA, says: “We are extremely proud to be sponsoring the Estas. In our view, these are the only awards that really matter, because they are judged by the only people who really count – the public. Any agent looking to build reputation can do no better than to take part in this scheme.”

The scheme costs just £150 to enter and is open to all estate and letting agents in the UK.  Agents send questionnaires to vendors, buyers and landlords whenever they complete a sale or tenancy agreement. The questionnaires are then returned direct to the organisers. At the end of the competition, hundreds of thousands of pieces of data are crunched to establish the winners in each region around the country.

Client feedback reports are then sent to every agent who entered, providing a detailed breakdown with regional and national comparison data.

“A lot of agents enter the Estas purely for the feedback data,” says Brown. “It provides in-depth analysis of each agent’s strengths and weakness, highlighting key performance criteria and enabling them to improve their services to clients. If they are shortlisted in the awards or even win an Esta, it’s an added bonus.”

To enter the Estas go to www.estateagentoftheyear.com